Devotionals

In his lecture on Isaiah 45, Martin Luther draws another parallel between Jesus and Cyrus: “Just as Cyrus would by his power and his expense set them free, so Christ would redeem us by His Word and grace, without cost.” ...Read More

Ultimately, the Israel of God is not an ethnic designation but a spiritual one. God’s covenant people includes all those who put their faith in the true fulfillment of Israel, Jesus our Lord. Together, Jews and Gentiles united to Christ ...Read More

Christ came not merely to restore us to what we were before Adam’s fall but to give us something better. As the last Adam, Christ restores what was lost and guarantees that we will never lose it again. He gives ...Read More

Christ is our Lord but He is not a master who is unapproachable or who does not understand us. Having taken on our flesh, He is able to sympathize with us and He knows what we need for strength in ...Read More

Other religions might say they respect Christ for being a good prophet or moral teacher, but Scripture will not allow us to stop there. Jesus is also truly God and worthy of our worship. To be a servant of Christ ...Read More

The power of God for conversion is in His grace working through the preaching of the gospel (1 Cor. 1:21). We do not have to invent fancy techniques to bring people to faith; we just have to preach God’s Word ...Read More

Passages such as Titus 2:11 are invoked as proof of prevenient grace, but the biblical doctrine of election forces us to reject Arminian and Wesleyan interpretations. When Paul says the grace of God has brought salvation to all people, he ...Read More

Either God is the source of all good or He is not. If we deny the necessity of grace to do what the Lord considers truly good, then we end up calling into question whether He is the ultimate source ...Read More

Augustinianism and semi-Pelagianism ultimately disagree regarding the power of God’s love and beauty. Is God’s love so effectual and is He so lovely that those to whom He reveals His salvation cannot finally reject Him, or are His love and ...Read More

When Adam and Eve sinned, they tried to hide from God (Gen. 3:6–7). Since then, all people apart from grace have continued hiding from the Lord, seeking to avoid His law and His judgment. This is a futile effort, and ...Read More